Alberta says advisory report shows federal electricity targets ‘reckless’

CALGARY — The Alberta government says the findings of a new federal advisory committee report are evidence that Ottawa should abandon its “reckless” 2035 clean electricity goals.

The federally appointed Canadian Electricity Advisory Council — a group of industry leaders, Indigenous leaders and chief executives — released a report Monday with suggestions on how Ottawa can meet its goal of decarbonizing the country’s electricity grid.

In the report, the council says decarbonizing the grid is a daunting challenge in jurisdictions like Alberta and Saskatchewan, where fossil fuels still make up the majority of electricity generation capacity.

The council says these provinces will need both federal financial support and “flexibility” around expectations to decarbonize their networks.

Alberta has long said it cannot achieve a net-zero grid by 2035, but will instead work toward a 2050 target.

The province said Tuesday that the advisory board’s report supports its position that “one-fits-all” electricity regulations are unrealistic and setting it up for failure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 11, 2024.

The Canadian Press